Spencer Blight saw Blaze coming from a good way off, so he used that time prepare himself. Blaze scared him a little bit, and Spencer hoped she wouldn't stay long. She was covered in red ink tattoos that matched her hair. They crept out from her clothes onto the backs of her hands, and high up onto her neck. She also laughed at lots of things that nobody else would find funny.

Spencer had seen her bite off most of a guy's nose once. Blaze had found that hilarious.

Blaze's motorcycle pulled up close, spraying Spencer with gravel. He tried as hard as could to stay very still. Resolute. That was a word Alex would like.

She had a piece of paper in her hand. If it was Spencer's lucky day, that meant this would only be a delivery, and Blaze would move on without staying.

"I've got something for Alex," she said after she got off her bike.

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Spencer looked her in the eye, and held out his hand.

"I'll take it," he said.

"It's for Alex, runt," Blaze said with a smile that indicated she would just love it if this interaction took a bad turn.

"I'll take it," Spencer repeated. Maintain eye contact. No emotion. All business. Just like Alex taught him.

"But I want to put it in his haaand," she said, and licked her lips.

Blaze was weird.

Spencer kept his hand out, and didn't say anything.

He could see her thinking. She wanted to see Alex, that was clear, and she didn't want this skinny little kid getting over on her, that was clearer. On the other hand, Spencer was doing things the way Alex wanted them done, a fact Blaze would know perfectly well. Messing with the protocol would be risking a lot, even for Blaze.

She rolled her eyes, and dangled it in front of him. Spencer snatched it, pulled his hand back out of grabbing distance as quickly as he could.

Blaze looked at him for a moment, a very long one as far as Spencer was concerned, and then hopped back on the motorcycle. He let out a long, deep breath as she drove away.

Spencer unfolded the paper, and began to read. The note was mercifully short, and would be easy to memorize. He stared at it until the words were fixed in his head, and then he tore the paper into small pieces. He popped the pieces into his mouth, one at time, and swallowed them, as Alex insisted. It was not Spencer's favorite part of the job.

He went over the words in his head three times before he turned to go inside.

A.

There have been developments. If you want to go, we have to go now.

Like, lickety-split.

V.